Old Yellow Bricks
by Frisco Lee
Summary: 17-year old Gerrard is a new resident of Vaniville Town in the Kalos region. After his mother received a mysterious letter from Professor Sycamore requesting Gerrard's participation in his studies, her son sets off on a life altering quest full of adventure, love, and terror. Can Gerrard complete his research, win the affection of his crush and defeat a crime syndicate all at once?
1. Meet Me in Aquacorde Town

**Old Yellow Bricks**

Chapter I: Meet Me in Aquacorde Town

**Vaniville Town**

Blurry vision and beams of sunlight met him as he awoke from a full nights sleep. The boy sat up in his bed and ran his fingers through his light brown hair; pushing it backward. He let out a sigh, lay back down and closed his eyes again. A few minutes later, a high-pitched sound cried out from his bedroom door and his eyes shot back open. "Cynd! Cynd!" The boy propped himself up in bed with his left arm and saw a small, black, and tan mouse-like animal running toward him. The creature jumped up into his lap and immediately sat down. The boy placed his right hand on the animal's head and scratched it. "Morning, Cyn," Cyn let out a heavy, content sigh and jumped down off of the bed. It bounced around in circles, as if it was beckoning the boy to follow him. "Ok, ok. I'm getting up," The brown haired boy planted his feet on the ground and followed the animal out of his bedroom door and down a set of stairs.

The wooden steps creaked beneath his feet as he slowly made his way down to the first floor. He was still getting used to all of the new sounds. He and his mother had just moved into the house only a week prior. It was taking some getting used to. As he entered the living room, he squinted his eyes at the sunlight. "Gerrard! I thought you'd never get up. It's almost 11:30!"

Gerrard rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. I was up a little late last night," he said. "I heard," his mother replied. "Sorry, Mom," Gerrard walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a carton of orange juice. He placed it on the table and went to retrieve a glass from the cabinet. "Gerrard, I got an interesting letter in the mailbox the other day," his mother said as she picked up a small envelope from the counter. "Yeah?" Gerrard asked between gulps of orange juice. "What'd it say?" His mother removed the letter from the envelope and handed it to Gerrard. "It's about you,"

The brown haired boy set his glass down and took the letter from his mother.

_Dear, Ms. Patrice,_

_ My name is Professor Augustine Sycamore. I am the Resident __Pokémon Professor of the Kalos region. I'm writing to you out of interest in your son Gerrard. Word has spread to me that he is quite the talented young trainer! I was delighted to hear of your recent move to the Kalos region and would love to meet with him, in Aquacorde Town on Sunday the 8__th__ if at all possible. He will be one of five trainers that I have a special project for. I hope to hear from you soon._

_ Warm Regards,_

_ Augustine Sycamore_

Gerrard glanced up from the letter. "What exactly is he talking about? Talented trainer?" His mother smiled at him. "Of course you are! Look at how close you and Cyn are!" At the sound of his name, Cyn came rushing into the kitchen; his nails clicking on the tile floor. "Me being close to Cyn and being a trainer are two different things. I've never even been in a battle before. Having Cyn shoot embers at bushes and wild Taillows back home doesn't mean a thing. Not to mention, I'm confused as to how this Sycamore guy even knows who I am," Gerrard's mother walked over to her son and put her hands on his shoulders. She smiled. "You're getting really worked up over what could be an amazing opportunity. As far as Professor Sycamore getting information on you, I'm sure your father has something to do with it," the last part, she said rolling her eyes. "But Dad is still back home in Rustboro. That doesn't make sense," Gerrard said. "I'm sure your father met him on one of his many 'adventures' or whatever he does. But no matter what, he still cares about you and wants what's best. You're older now. Why not have a wonderful adventure before you go off to university? This could change your life,"

Gerrard looked down at the floor. Cyn glanced up toward him and let out a snort. Gerrard gave a half smile. His mind was racing. He had only been in Kalos for a week. If only he was back home in Hoenn. He'd met Professor Birch, through his father, many times and would go without a second thought. But this felt strange to him. "I don't know Mom. I…I mean…it sounds great and all, but I'm not sure," Gerrard's mother placed her hands on her sons cheeks and tilted his face up toward her own. "Gerrard. Listen to me. This will be great for you. You have the chance to do great things and meet new people. Please, take this chance,"

"If you say so," Gerrard said tentatively. "I'll try my best. And who knows, it could be a little fun," His mother smiled at him. "That's the spirit! Now go back upstairs and get some clothes on. You've got a trip shortly and you're damn near naked!" Gerrard had forgotten that he was only wearing his grey boxers. "You're right. And what do you mean 'a trip shortly'? It says the 8th. That's not until tomorrow," Gerrard's mother laughed a bit. "Today _is_ Sunday. You've been staying up too late. Your days are getting mixed up," Gerrard let out a huge sigh. "Does he even know I'm coming? I just found this out today!"

"The letter came in the mail on Thursday and I already replied that you would meet with him," Gerrard let out an exasperated shout. "What?! H-How could you do that! Did you just assume I'd go? I don't even have time to prepare my clothes and supplies!" His mother shushed him. "You'll be fine. You're going to have a great time," Gerrard, clad only in grey boxers and bedhead, stared at his mother for a moment before finally retreating to his bedroom.

Cyn happily bounced around Gerrard's brown boots as he spoke to his mother. It was warm outside. The sun shone brightly in the cloudless afternoon sky. The weather had brought Gerrard's spirits up. The more he thought about his upcoming adventure, the more he realized it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. "And I do hope you use your Kalos Maps app in your phone. I don't want you being late!" his mother cautioned. Gerrard gave a short laugh. "Don't worry Mom, I'll be fine. I'm nearly 18-years old. I think I can handle getting there," His mother gave him a hug, bent down to pet Cyn, and shooed Gerrard on his way. "C'mon Cyn, lets do this," Gerrard said as they walked away. As he walked down the street, he turned and waved to his mother who was still standing in the doorway. She waved back before covering her mouth with her hands. Gerrard knew she was tearing up. Part of him wanted to go back and comfort her and let her know everything would be ok, but he knew he had to press on. Leaving a second time would be even harder.

"Hey!" a girl's voice rang out from behind him. "You in the black shirt!" Gerrard turned around and saw a blonde girl running toward him. She had on a dark blue sundress with white canvas shoes. The red strap across her chest was connected to a red purse flailing behind her as she jogged over to Gerrard. "He-Hello," Gerrard blurted out. Cyn jumped behind his leg and peeked out at the unfamiliar face. "Hi! You're new here aren't you?" she asked. "Yeah. I just moved here last week with my mother. My names Gerrard," The girl smiled. "Nice to meet you Gerrard! My name is Valérie. Where did you move here from?" Gerrard began to feel impatient, but didn't want to be impolite. "I'm from Rustboro City. It's in the Hoenn region. I apologize, but I'm actually on my way to Aquacorde Town. I can't be late," Valérie's smile grew larger. "What a coincidence! That's where I'm going too!" The pair began to walk toward the gate to Route 1. "You wouldn't happen to be meeting Professor Sycamore by chance would you?" Gerrard nodded. "Actually I am. I'm not totally sure what its about though,"

"Since you're new, I'll fill you in," Valérie said. "Professor Sycamore is one of the leading researchers in what is called 'mega evolution'," Gerrard interrupted. "Mega evolution?"

"Yeah. I don't fully understand it, but apparently it's a temporary evolution that only occurs in battle," Valérie continued. Gerrard looked down at Cyn and then back to Valérie. "Is this 'mega evolution' possible for all Pokémon or.."

"Right now it seems like only a few Pokémon are capable of it. Speaking of Pokémon, I'm not sure I've ever seen that one," she said, pointing at Cyn. Gerrard stopped and picked Cyn up off the ground. "This is what's called a Cyndaquil. He's a rare Pokémon from the Johto region. My Dad got him for me on one of his trips abroad. I got him a couple years ago. His name is Cyn," Valérie smiled and waved her fingers at the Cyndaquil. "Hello, Cyn. Nice to meet you!" Cyn snorted and looked up at Gerrard almost as if he needed his approval to reply. "Its ok, Cyn. She won't hurt you,"

"May I?" Valérie asked. Gerrard nodded. She slowly reached her hand out and placed it on Cyn's head and gave it a light rub. Cyn appeared to accept the gesture and let out a happy snort. "I think he likes you," Gerrard said. Valérie beamed. "I'm glad. I like you too, Cyn,"

The pair continued their short walk to Aquacorde Town. They passed large swaths of high grass that had several different Pokémon calls emanating from them. They made sure to avoid them at this point. Cyn happily trotted between the two as they came upon the gate to Aquacorde Town. "So tell me, Gerrard. What brings you to Kalos? I mean…Hoenn is a long ways away," Valérie asked. Gerrard let out a bit of a sigh. "Well, my parents split up.." Valérie cut him off. "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry if it's a tough subject," Gerrard reassured her. "No, no. It's alright. My father is a trainer in the Hoenn region. He's kind of a local hero in our hometown of Rustboro. He was always out traveling here and there for our region's professor, Professor Birch. They grew up together and my father helped him study many different types of Pokémon in different regions. It put a strain on home life for sure. He was home for like, three or four days and then gone for two weeks on business. He made great money but my parent's relationship suffered. I love my Dad, and I miss him, but I think he put a little too much into his work," Gerrard trailed off.

Valérie placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and smiled. "I'm sure both of your parents will be very proud of you, Gerrard. Our adventure is only starting. We have the opportunity to do great things. If that cheers you up any.." Gerrard smiled. "Yeah. Yeah it does. Thanks, Valérie,"

**Aquacorde Town**

The shadows of the Aquacorde Town gate loomed before Gerrard and Valérie. It was a giant stone arch with 'Aquacorde Town' chiseled in a Romanesque style. The earth seemed to crawl up the arch as strands of ivy wrapped around it. On either side of the arch stretched two, tan buildings with dark blue rooftops. The buildings acted as walls encasing the city behind them. The pair stopped before entering. "Wow," Gerrard said. "This is beautiful," Valérie smiled. "You'll see that in Kalos. It's a very pretty region," Gerrard and Valérie walked past the gate and onto the brick streets. "So, do you know exactly where we're supposed to go?" Gerrard asked. Valérie nodded and pointed. "Its actually right there!" Gerrard turned to where she was pointing and saw three others seemingly around his age accompanied by a taller man in a white coat and longer black hair. "That's Professor Sycamore!" Valérie said, almost squealing. Gerrard raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Valérie blushed a bit. "I mean…that's where we're supposed to go,"

As Gerrard and Valérie approached, Professor Sycamore turned and greeted them. "Ah! You must be Gerrard and Valérie! From Vaniville Town, correct?" Gerrard and Valérie nodded. "It's nice to meet you, sir," Gerrard said, as he stuck his hand out. Sycamore shook it and looked down at Cyn. "I see you have a Cyndaquil with you. I haven't seen one of those in ages!" Gerrard looked down at Cyn who was now sitting by his side. "Oh, yeah. He's my pal,"

"Its interesting how you keep him outside of his PokéBall too. You don't see it that often outside of the occasional Espurr and Furfrou," Sycamore observed. "Yeah, Cyn has never really taken to one before. I prefer to have him at my side anyway," Gerrard replied.

Sycamore smiled. "Well that's great. I can already see why you've come highly recommended," Gerrard looked at him quizzically. "And who exactly recommended me again?"

"All in due time, Gerrard. Now let me introduce you to the other members of your group," Sycamore walked Valérie and a slightly irked Gerrard over to the patio table that the other three members were sitting around. "Valérie, Gerrard, may I introduce you to Georges, Hannah and Adelaide,"

The one Sycamore introduced as Georges wore a white t-shirt with black jeans. He appeared slightly older than Gerrard, maybe a couple years. He had shaggy black hair that he was constantly trying to keep out of his face. Hannah was younger than either Gerrard or Valérie, but only by a year or so. She had long red hair that went down to the middle of her back. She wore a pink shirt, jean shorts and black-rimmed glasses. She had placed a thick book down on the table to greet Gerrard and Valérie, but immediately returned to her book after the introduction. Last was Adelaide. She looked to be about the same age as Gerrard. She had medium length brown hair with a tint of purple. Her shirt was white with ¾ length blue sleeves along with black leggings and brown boots.

"Bonjour, Gerrard. Enchanté," she said. Gerrard looked a bit confused. "Uhh, an-shun-tee?" Adelaide giggled. "I'm sorry," she said with a slight French accent. "It means nice to meet you," Gerrard laughed. "Oh! Heh, nice to meet you too," She smiled and turned to Valérie to greet her as well. As Gerrard took a seat at the table, he tried to hide his glances at her as she returned to her chair.

"_Wow," _thought Gerrard. "_Maybe this adventure will be a bit more interesting than I had anticipated,"_

"Now that I have you all here," Sycamore began. "I've assembled you to help me with an important part of my research, and I believe each of you has a certain set of skills to help accomplish those goals. I speak of course of mega evolution," The group looked at each other silently before Sycamore continued. "Let me explain. It is theorized that there is a stone that can make Pokémon temporarily evolve during battle," The table, with the exception of Valérie, looked a bit surprised at the statement. Hannah was the first to speak. "I hope you don't feel offended, but that seems implausible professor. I've read book after book on the theories of Pokémon evolution and not once is this mentioned," Sycamore smiled. "This is a relatively new development that isn't in any textbooks or scientific journals as of yet. That is why I have you here. To unlock these mysteries,"

"But what can we do? We're just kids," Hannah said. Sycamore laughed. He turned and reached into a khaki canvas bag that sat next to his chair and pulled out five cell phone-like devices. "Is that a PokéDex?!" Hannah shouted. "Yes," Sycamore began. "I also want you all to travel the region and find as many different types of Pokémon as you can. With you all spread out across this region, we can be certain that we'll unlock the secret to mega evolution,"

Sycamore began to pass out a PokéDex to each of the kids. Gerrard flipped his open and raised it up to Cyn. _Cyndaquil: the fire-mouse Pokémon. It has a timid nature. If it is startled, the flames on its back burn more vigorously. _The PokéDex spoke in a robotic male voice. Sycamore turned toward Gerrard. "I see you've already got the hang of it," Gerrard slid the device into the front pocket of his messenger bag. "Yeah. My Dad had a few models back home. He would let me use the old ones when I was younger,"

"And now for the moment I'm sure you've been waiting for," Sycamore said as he returned to his canvas bag. He reached in and brought out a set of three PokéBalls. "In these PokéBalls reside what we professors like to refer to as 'starter Pokémon'. They're rare, but I know I can trust you all with them,"

"But professor, there are only three of them and five of us," Adelaide stated. "Some of us are going to get left out,"

"Well we can count him out," Georges said, motioning toward Gerrard. "He's already got one," Sycamore shook his head. "Not necessarily Georges. Don't you worry. You'll all get one. Now.." Sycamore extended his arm and revealed five straws in his clenched fist. "Longest straw chooses first,"

The five new trainers glanced nervously at each other. One by one, they each grabbed a straw from Sycamore's hand. Valérie was luckiest and picked the longest straw. Then came Gerrard, Georges, Hannah and Adelaide. Gerrard momentarily thought about being noble and switching his straw with Adelaide's but decided against it. "Now Valérie. Choose your very first companion," Sycamore said as he released each from their PokéBalls. Chespin, the spiny nut Pokémon, Fennekin, the fox Pokémon, and Froakie, the bubble frog Pokémon stood left to right. Valérie scrunched up her face a bit and looked at Sycamore. "This is hard!" she said.

"Just go with what you feel is right," Sycamore replied, as the others looked on. Valérie turned back toward the three Pokémon before her. She noticed that the Pokémon that took most of her attention was the little fire fox Fennekin. "I think I'll take Fennekin! That is, if you want to Fennekin," The little fox tilted its head, yelped and wagged its tail. Valérie happily grabbed Fennekin's PokéBall and with a flash of red light, Fennekin returned to its portable home. Valérie ran her thumbs slowly on the top of the PokéBall in amazement. She glanced up and saw everyone looking at her. She smiled and returned to her seat. "Thank you, professor," Sycamore nodded to her. "Your welcome, Valérie," he turned to Gerrard and smiled. "You're up, Gerrard,"

Gerrard felt like the group was giving him disapproving stares as he walked up to the remaining two Pokémon. Cyn followed close behind and sat next to him. While Gerrard glanced between the two, Cyn stood and began to walk toward Froakie. He tentatively stuck his nose close to him, smelled him and snorted a bit. Gerrard knelt down next to him and placed a hand on his back. "What do you think, Cyn?" The blue frog looked into Gerrard's eyes. "Fro?" Gerrard smiled and picked up Froakie's PokéBall. "I think we have a winner. How about I call you Nin?" Froakie jumped up. "Fro!" A red light consumed his new Pokémon and he returned to his PokéBall. "We did good, Cyn," Gerrard said as he sat down. Cyn jumped on his lap and lay down while Gerrard scratched his stomach.

"Good, good!" Sycamore said. "Looks like it's your turn Georges," Georges got up quickly and laughed. "This is great! Just the one I wanted! C'mere Chespin!" Georges grabbed Chespin's PokéBall and returned to his seat.

Hannah and Adelaide looked at each other disappointedly. Sycamore walked over to them and gave them a reassuring smile. "Girls, I've prepared for this," he walked over to his bag and brought out three more PokéBalls. "What?!" everyone exclaimed. Sycamore set them on the ground and the three PokéBalls released their contents. Before the group stood, Charmander, the lizard Pokémon, Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokémon, and Bulbasaur, the seed Pokémon. "Those…those are from the Kanto region!" Hannah shouted. "I've only seen them in books! How did you get those all the way here in Kalos?"

"They're a gift from an old friend," Sycamore said. "Now Hannah, I believe it's your turn," Hannah walked over in awe at the rare monsters. "Wow," she said to herself quietly. After about thirty seconds of self-deliberation, she made her choice. "I'm going to take Charmander!" The lizard bounced up and down happily. "Char!" it shouted before returning to its PokéBall. Hannah returned to her seat.

"And last, but not least, Adelaide," Sycamore announced. Adelaide stood and made her way over to the two remaining Pokémon. Everyone was silent as she made her own tough decision. She began chewing the inside of her cheek as she thought to herself. Her eyes moved from Bulbasaur to Squirtle and then back. "I'm not sure what it is," she said with a tinge of French accent. "But I have a good feeling about you Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur's ears perked up. "Bulba!" Adelaide reached for the PokéBall and a big smile crept across her face. Bulbasaur was absorbed into its PokéBall and that was it. The selection process was over. Sycamore bent down and picked up Squirtle's PokéBall. "And it looks like one for me!" he said happily. "Now," he began. "I have entrusted you with these companions and a PokéDex. I want you to go out and be the best trainer you can be. Forge great relationships with not only your Pokémon, but the people you meet along the way as well," Sycamore placed Squirtle's PokéBall into his canvas bag and slung the bag over his shoulder. "Your journey and the choices you make are now up to you. I'll be seeing you all soon. Good luck!"

With that, Sycamore tossed a PokéBall onto the ground and out shot a Talonflame. "See you later!" The Talonflame looped up high in the air, and in a flash, both it and the professor were gone. The group sat awestruck. After a few moments of silence, Hannah spoke up. "Well, I guess we should all get started then," Everyone nodded to her and got up as well. "I think we should at least exchange information with each other. Just in case," Valérie suggested. Gerrard made his way over to Adelaide and they exchanged phones. "Well, uh, I hope to see you again soon," he said with a bit of nerves. Adelaide giggled as she returned his phone. "I'm sure you will,"

After the last number was exchanged, they all parted ways. Gerrard expected Valérie to leave as well, but she stayed with him after everyone had left. "Aren't you going too?" Gerrard asked. "I think it'd be boring to go alone. Us Vanivillites need to stick together you know!" she said. "That is, if you don't mind," Gerrard smiled. "Of course I don't. Where should we go to next?" Valérie pointed to a stone bridge spanning a river. "Route 2 and onward to Santalune Forest? I hear there are wild Pikachu in there!" Gerrard couldn't help but smile. "Sounds good to me. C'mon, Cyn. Lets get going," Cyn began bouncing around Gerrard's feet and he, along with Valérie were off to begin their adventure.


	2. Santalune: pt I

**Old Yellow Bricks**

Chapter II: Santalune pt. I

**Route 2**

Orange sunlight filtered through the thickening trees as Gerrard and Valérie made their way toward Santalune Forest. The two new friends tiredly trudged along the dirt trail, their steps kicking up small amounts of dust from the dry ground. Cyn had long since decided he was done walking for the day and was currently being carried under Gerrard's right arm. Gerrard looked up and stared at the purple sky through the trees. His face was nearly motionless, barring his eyes darting back and forth between the sky and the direction he was walking in. Valérie was trailing slightly behind him and was showing visible signs of exhaustion. The pair had been almost continuously walking since the late morning and were in need of rest.

"Gerrard," Valérie exhaled heavily. "I think its time we set up a camp for the night before we lose all sunlight,"

Gerrard turned to her and nodded. He raised his arm and pointed his index finger in front of them. "I think I see a clearing up there right before the entrance to the forest.

Valérie let out a sigh and walked up to meet Gerrard. "I sure hope you're right,"

"Don't worry," Gerrard said with a bit of a smile. "I'm positive. Hopefully tomorrow we can come across some more Pokémon,"

Valérie and Gerrard set off once again together and within a minute, the trees thinned out a bit and a small clearing could be seen. A relieved Valérie smiled and lay down in the cool grass. "Finally!" she shouted. Gerrard laughed at his new friend. "This looks like a good place to set up camp,"

The two unfolded a large brown cloth that Gerrard had stuffed in his backpack and laid it out on the soft, green grass. Gerrard then grabbed some thin, retractable, metallic poles out of his bag and began placing them into a tent shape while Valérie removed a blue tarp from her own bag. Gerrard and Valérie quickly finished setting up the tents as the day's last gasp of light crawled out from beyond the treetops.

The next task was to make a fire for dinner. Gerrard entered a thick grouping of trees where he found sticks and old dried up leaves for kindling while Valérie prepared some meals that her mother had packed. Gerrard dropped the sticks and leaves off at the camp and returned for some stones to contain their fire. Right as Gerrard re-entered the trees, a voice shouted at him.

"Hey! I see you over there!"

Gerrard turned around and saw a boy, probably around 12 years old running up to him. The boy was dressed in a blue hoodie, with black shorts and short brown hair. The boy panted and placed his hands on his knees as he reached Gerrard.

"Can I help you?" Gerrard asked. The boy regained his composure, stood straight up and pointed at him. "You're a Pokémon trainer aren't you?"

Gerrard nodded. "Yes. What's your point?"

The boy furrowed his brow. "Don't you know what comes next?" Gerrard looked around and shook his head. The boy continued. "Well, I'm a trainer too. The best in Aquacorde Town! I'm here to challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

"Don't you think this is a bit inconvenient?" Gerrard asked with his arms full of rocks. "I've been walking all day long and its nearly dark outside. Besides…shouldn't you be getting home by now?"

"No! I should not be getting home by now! Don't you know the rules of Pokémon battles? Once a trainer's eyes meet, they have to battle!"

Gerrard was beginning to get annoyed by the boy and began to walk away. "Sorry, kid. Maybe some other time," The boy ran in front of Gerrard and blocked his path.

"You don't understand! I, Austin of Aquacorde Town, challenge you to a battle!" The boy reached toward his belt and pulled off a red and white PokéBall. The small ball expanded in his hand. Austin cocked his arm back and tossed the ball in front of him. "Go, Zigzagoon!"

A small brown and black raccoon-like creature burst forth in a flash of red light and stood in between the two trainers. Frustrated, Gerrard threw the rocks he was carrying to the ground. "I told you, god dammit! I have places to be!"

"Battle me! It's the rules!" Austin screamed.

"Fine," Gerrard pointed in the Zigzagoon's direction. "Cyn, go get'em!" After waiting a few seconds, Cyn was nowhere to be seen. "Cyn?" Gerrard turned his head in all directions but couldn't find his fire mouse. Gerrard brushed his left hand across his belt and felt a PokéBall dangling from it. He had totally forgot that he received his second Pokémon earlier in the day. He grabbed the ball off of his belt, and it too expanded in his palm. Gerrard could feel himself getting a little nervous. This was the first time he'd ever done anything resembling a battle with a real person and he was missing his long time companion.

"What's taking you so long?! C'mon, lets go!" Austin yelled.

Gerrard glared at him. "You're making a big mistake. Nin, lets go!" Gerrard tossed his PokéBall and in a similar flash of light, his new Froakie burst forth from its PokéBall. The moment Nin planted his feet on the ground Austin was on the attack.

"Zigzagoon, head-butt him!" he yelled, pointing his index finger toward Nin. The raccoon Pokémon lowered its head and began charging at Nin. Gerrard's mind went blank for a moment. What exactly was he supposed to do next? "Uh, uh, dodge him, Nin!"

Nin turned toward Gerrard. "Fro?" Immediately after, the Zigzagoon slammed into Nin's side and sent him skidding across the dusty ground toward Gerrard's feet. "Shit," Gerrard cursed quietly to himself. Nin popped up and glared angrily at the Zigzagoon. Gerrard quickly began searching his mind for what he should do next. Although he was unfamiliar with Nin, and Froakies in general, he assumed they would be know techniques any lower leveled Pokémon would know.

"_I know back home that Poliwags and Mudkips know Bubble and Water Gun attacks. Maybe Nin knows one of them," _Gerrard thought. He could see Zigzagoon getting ready to charge Nin once again. "Nin, uh, use Bubble!"

Austin's Zigzagoon began running toward Nin, but this time the frog Pokémon was able to respond. Nin took a large gulp of air and spit up a stream of bubbles that connected with Zigzagoon's face. The shock of bubbles hitting his snout made Zigzagoon come to a sliding stop in the dirt.

"Nin, hit him with a Quick Attack!"

Nin shot off toward the stunned Zigzagoon and hit him with a closed fist across the nose. Zigzagoon fell over sideways, much to Austin's surprise. "Zigzagoon! Get up and tackle him!" The Zigzagoon stood up, with dirt and pieces of grass still on its side, and lunged at Nin.

"Nin! Counter with another Quick Attack!" Gerrard shouted. Just as Zigzagoon was about to reach him, Nin fell to his back and kicked Zigzagoon up into the air. Austin's jaw dropped as he saw his partner soaring through the air. "Zigzagoon, no!"

Gerrard now had a smirk on his face, as he knew he was just one short move from victory. "Nin, finish it with one more Quick Attack!"

Before Zigzagoon could hit the ground, Nin speared the falling raccoon-like Pokémon and sent it crashing into the dirt. The Zigzagoon barrel rolled on the ground until it came to a stop at Austin's feet. Dejected, Austin recalled Zigzagoon to his PokéBall. A red light consumed Zigzagoon and all that remained behind were skid marks and wet spots from fresh tears. Austin hung his head and wiped snot from his nose with his forearm. "I guess you win.."

"Good try, kid," Gerrard said as Nin returned to his PokéBall. "I'm sure you'll get better," The kid raised his head and glared at Gerrard. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of wadded up paper and threw it in Gerrard's direction before running off into the twilight. The small sheets of paper slowly floated down and came to a rest on the dirt. Confused, Gerrard slowly walked over to the paper and saw that it wasn't just paper, but money. He gathered up the lose money and shoved it into his pocket. Gerrard shook his head a couple times and returned to the pile of rocks that he was collecting.

"Where were you? What took you so long?" Valérie asked as Gerrard finally returned to camp. Gerrard dropped the pile of rocks next to the pile of leaves and sticks. He knelt down and began to place the stones in a circle around the kindling. "Well, I got ambushed, then I beat up some kid and took his money,"

"WHAT?! Are you serious?!" a now exasperated Valérie shrieked. Cyn, who was lying next to her, was startled out of his slumber and took off toward Gerrard.

Gerrard placed a hand on Cyn's head to calm him down. He laughed. "Not exactly. Some kid forced a Pokémon battle on me while I was gathering these stones. I tried to just walk away but he was pretty persistent so I ended up battling him,"

"And you beat him?"

"And I took his money,"

Valérie sat in silence for a moment as Gerrard instructed Cyn to light the kindling with a small Ember. "You took his money?"

"Well, more like he threw it at me and he ran off crying," Gerrard replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled up currency. "Looks like 120 dollars,"

Valérie had now calmed down from the initial shock of Gerrard's statement. "Well…as bad as this sounds, at least he had proper etiquette,"

Gerrard turned to her, confused. "Proper etiquette? Etiquette for what?"

"A Pokémon battle," Valérie began. "The loser of the battle ALWAYS pays out to the winner,"

"Hmm. I never realized that before," Gerrard replied. "That's good to know," Gerrard stood up, followed by Cyn, and sat next to Valérie. He leaned backward and propped himself up with his arms. His eyes returned skyward and he admired the seemingly endless points of light in the sky. "I never got to see many of these back home,"

Valérie looked up for a moment. The sky was now a deep purple color as the sun had finally retreated behind the horizon. Now all that remained were shades of magenta where the sun had once been. "It is beautiful out here. I guess I never really paid attention to it before. I've always been so used to it," She sat up onto her knees and grabbed a steel tray that was sitting next to them. She placed it above the now roaring fire and placed two aluminum cans on top. "Mom packed some stew. It's really good. You'll like it,"

Gerrard smiled. "Thanks, Valérie. I'll buy us some more food once we reach Santalune City,"

After getting dinner started, Valérie sat back down next to Gerrard. "I think tomorrow we should get started on this PokéDex thing," she said as she pulled out the red device from her bag.

"You're probably right," Gerrard agreed. "The more I think about it, the more I get excited about all of this. I've seen a lot of different Pokémon that my Dad showed me and what not, but this is the first time I'll see new Pokémon on my own,"

"Kalos is home to so many different species," Valérie said. "It's a really diverse region," Valérie glanced over at Gerrard and saw him admiring the sky again. Cyn was silently sleeping on his lap. "Gerrard?"

Gerrard broke his gaze with the sky and turned to his friend. "Yeah?"

"You said you're from Hoenn, right?"

"Yeah. Rustboro City,"

"Well, I just ask because I was wondering if you had any run ins with those two criminal teams. A few years ago it was all over the news here in Kalos. We even had the sea-level rise a little over here,"

"Aqua and Magma? Yeah. I remember. I was probably thirteen when all of that went on. It was weird to experience. The weather constantly changed for what seemed like weeks on end. A hundred degrees one day, pouring rain the next. Apparently there was a group of trainers who defeated both teams and awoke the legendary Pokémon Rayquaza to seal Groudon and Kyogre away again. I'm not sure what happened to them though. They did a good job at staying away out of the public eye. I'm not sure what happened to them, but all I know is they're good people,"

Valérie nodded. "That must've been quite the ordeal. I couldn't imagine what that would even be like if something like that happened here,"

"Yeah. I really don't think its something I'd want to go through again,"

The sound of wild Fletchlings crying from the trees woke Gerrard from his sleep. He rolled over on to his side and placed a hand on Cyn's back. "G'morning, Cyn," Cyn gave him a happy snort in reply. Gerrard unzipped his sleeping bag and pulled on a pair of pants before exiting his tent. The sun shone brightly from above as Gerrard crawled out onto the cool, green grass. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw that it was only ten in the morning. Gerrard stood and stretched his arms above his head. His back cracked as he began to twist back and forth.

Gerrard could hear the sound of rapid footsteps over fallen leaves coming from his right. He began walking toward the sound and could see a silhouette running toward him. His left hand immediately went to his belt and rested his fingers on his PokéBall.

The silhouette began waving at him. "Gerrard! Hey!" Gerrard was put at ease as he realized it was only Valérie running toward him. The sunlight filtering through the thick treetops began to light up her figure as she made her way towards him. As she got closer, he could see that she was waving a PokéBall in her right hand.

"I caught a Scatterbug!" Valérie shouted happily. She finally came to a stop a few feet from Gerrard. "I woke up early this morning and went out by myself for a bit and came across this little guy," she explained as she held the PokéBall in two cupped hands. "Fennekin did a great job helping! Now we both have two Pokémon!"

"That's great, Valérie! I think we should pack up and get going. I want to make it through to Santalune City by the end of the day,"

Gerrard turned and walked back into camp and began to tear down his tent. Valérie couldn't help but be a little bit disappointed that Gerrard didn't share the same excitement with her catch as she did. She stood by herself for a moment, admiring her PokéBall before placing it at her waist and returning to their campsite.


End file.
